Dead Poets Society

The movie "Dead Poets Society" is a film based upon the power of the arts. This movie was created in 1989, by Peter Weir. Throughout this film the protagonists gradually embrace the world and recede from the internals of their shells. This change brings a new perspective to their eyes, but this new perspective also brings several dilemmas. The students actions cause a massive ripple effect and ultimately result in the tragic death of a friend. Fingers are pointed and opinions are made, tears are shed and life will never be the same for those who attended Welton Academy. Three key themes are quietly revealed in this film. The powers of conformity, built upon the foundations of poetry, and chasing dreams in which you most desire.

Conformity is a powerful act, over thought by the students in Welton Academy. The students create a poetic group that is more so passed down by their English teacher John Keating. This group allows the students the ability to express their deepest emotions in the most poetic ways possible. The students use this as a scapegoat to run from their controlled lives. Unfortunately this act of conformity goes against school rules as the students leave the school grounds at sleeping hours. Initially this results in no problems what so ever, but eventually the truth is revealed and these meetings become a lot less secret. Ultimately this results in the schools enragement, the firing of Mr Keating and the drastic and harsh suicide of a student. Such a harmless act of coming together to express emotion, becomes the basis of the worst time period in those students lives.

Poetry is a vast river full of emotion, it allows one to dip their feet in its bountiful purity and feel the cool freedom flow between their toes. The students who form the Dead Poets Society realize this and use it to stand up for their passions in life. Mr Keating taught these students to think and feel for themselves, and taught them the true meanings of poetry. This completely opens his students eyes that now live for themselves and not for what their parents want them to be. Poetry allowed the students to be their own person and chase their own dreams and not the dreams of their parents. This did not obviously go well with the students in the group for their parents took them by the reigns. But the short span of time that they lived that freedom, those students finally tasted its sweetness. Before everything they believed in came down before them in a horrifically swift fashion. Those students did what their heart desired, but this came at all toll and blackened their existence.

Loneliness is quietly portraid throughout Peter Weirs film. Its the frosted bitterness that almost every character in the movie is engulfed in. Students find themselves longing for family, or loved ones but the sad reality is that they were confined behind the school walls. This emotion ultimately created the Dead Poets Society as the students accomplished some sense of belonging with it. Loneliness destroyed many of the students and even killed one off. But within this loneliness hope took a stand literally at the end of the movie and spat in its face.

"Dead Poets Society" symbolizes the coming together of weak individuals. All of the groups members bare the burden of some dilemma within their lives. Their group allowed them an escape to a world new to them. A world filled with happiness, freedom and love. This world was shortly lived but non the less caused a massive ripple effect in the boys lives.